


Darkside

by StarSongVII



Series: Bright: A Fairy Tale of Fairy Tail [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Angst and Romance, Depression, F/M, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 14:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30141132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSongVII/pseuds/StarSongVII
Summary: The darkness calls to the Ice Devil Slayer. He tries to keep it at bay, but sometimes it's not that easy.Theme: Darkside, the OST for the series Bright (because Jellal is seeking the light, and maybe so is Gray).[Gray POV retelling, as canon-compliant as possible from Tartaros, until it's not]
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster & Juvia Lockser, Gray Fullbuster & Lyon Vastia, Gray Fullbuster/Lyon Vastia, Gray Fullbuster/Undisclosed, Jellal Fernandes/Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser/Lyon Vastia
Series: Bright: A Fairy Tale of Fairy Tail [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2218419
Kudos: 5
Collections: Fairy Tail LGBTales





	Darkside

**_Some days I can't get out of my head_ **

**_That's just the dark side of me_ **

Sometimes it hits him, creeps up quietly like that Shadow Rogue.

_Dark Sight._

That's what Lyon calls it, that's what Lyon's been calling it ever since Tartaros.

They both know he's had this since he was a child burying his parents, but they both pretend it's purely because of the Devil Slayer magic because it's easier to blame Zeref and his minions, the way the rest of the world does.

It's not like Gray wants to see things this way.

They've completed yet another S-class quest together, since he cheerily waltzed back into the guild post-Avatar, long forgiven for joining a Dark Guild the way everyone in the guild always forgives everyone else.

It gets on his nerves, sometimes.

He knows some of them have suffered too. Erza in particular - tortured, starved, betrayed since childhood.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy, who'd believed themselves abandoned by their parents, waking up one day all alone in a world they didn't know.

Cana, who'd been too ashamed to face her legendary father, believing herself unworthy and drowning the longing in booze.

But sometimes, when he looks at the others after stupid things like completing another S-class quest together (bringing Master back from Alvarez counts as an S-class quest, they all agree), all he sees is the dark side of things.

_Dark Sight._

He sees Lucy, who's had her clothes torn so she's practically naked (as usual), screeching at Happy while teary-eyed (as usual) about winning after a wholesome speech about friendship by Natsu (as usual).

He sees Wendy trip (as usual) and the tears in large eyes as she rises to Carla's snarks.

He sees Erza looking satisfied at yet another notch on her belt.

He knows Juvia is nearby, can feel her magic and the weight of her gaze.

Sometimes, he looks around him, and all he sees is darkness.

_Dark Sight._

He fakes cheeriness well (as usual), known for his casual, laidback demeanour and easygoing personality. He says the right things to trigger Natsu, the kind things to make Lucy smile tearfully at him.

He pretends to be afraid of Erza, pats Wendy on the head, just as he usually does.

When they get back to Magnolia, he joins them for dinner and drinks as usual.

Except the darkness doesn't quite let go, so he ends up slipping away quietly when Lucy passes out drunk thanks to Cana, Natsu's scarf clutched tight in soft hands.

Juvia he props against her old friend Gajeel (as usual), before he blends into the shadows like it's where he belongs.

He knows it isn't, because Erza's always going on about "live _this_ , live _that_ " (so does Natsu), and because their guild mates love to prattle on about light and darkness and the Power of Friendship.

Sometimes though, he looks at the others, and all he sees is the dark side.

Lady Lucy 'Lucky' Heartfilia, who'd kicked up a huge fuss (and gotten their guildhall wrecked) because she was upset that her father was always busy working to provide her with luxuries, to hide from the hurt of losing his beloved wife.

At least she'd had a father for most of her life, until Tenrou and the 7-year gap. (But even then, Daddy Heartfilia had come through like some Hallmark poster and there had of course been a lot of crying by the busty blonde).

Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slayer, who'd been loved by a dragon before being found by Mystogan and taken to Cait Shelter to be protected and raised, adopted into the Fairy Tail family and adored even as a terrified crybaby.

Natsu Dragneel, who always had to be the center of attention, always yowling on about how his friends give him strength and yelling about finding his dragon-father (until he did and Igneel died trying to save them all, which Gray truly felt sorry about because he knows what it's like to lose a father and then some).

Erza Scarlet, who acted holier-than-thou on a good day, convinced of her superiority on the basis of her insane Requips and the suffering she'd endured as a child.

Sometimes, he looks at the rest of Team Natsu (again, it's always _all about Natsu,_ like he's some main character of a stupid manga) and wonders just what the hell he's doing here.

He'd come to Fairy Tail because of Ur's words about strong wizards in the West, because he'd somehow crossed paths with Gildarts on his wanderings and wound up in this pub that masqueraded as a guild.

Sure, it's great sometimes, because Master never penalizes any of them financially for the trouble they cause.

And it's nice to have somewhere to come back to, nice to have familiar faces around him, people who're so insanely predictable it's like he's the writer of a terribly trite shonēn manga.

But right now, he doesn't feel like a nice person.

Lucy is always in the skimpiest clothing possible, and he's tired of seeing her underwear and naked body and tears, tired of hearing her scream for Natsu to save her while she mooches off their hard work. Sure, her Star Dress shit looks cool, and Celestial Spirits are rare (the Zodiac ones in particular), but he wonders why no one has quite realized yet that Loke and the rest are abnormally weak for being one-of-a-kind summons.

Maybe no one else quite sees it yet, too distracted by Lucy's breasts hanging out of her tube tops.

Natsu always gets his way, barging in loudly wherever he goes, demanding attention and making sure he gets it even if he has to destroy half a town to do so. Because God forbid someone else matter more than Mr. Main Character.

Wendy still trips over nothing, still cries and shrinks back in fear (though he gives her tremendous credit for her courage and willingness to sacrifice herself to stop Face). Still, he can see she has incredible power and it annoys him to no end that all she ever wants is world peace and stupid superficial shit like that (and then he hates himself for thinking that way).

Erza is obsessed with being perfect, and maybe it's because she believes that by doing so she won't be abandoned or cast away again, but her Little Miss Titania routine gets on his nerves a lot. She's always loved the spotlight, as evidenced by her desire to be an actor, and between her and Natsu (and Lucy's _gigantic_ knockers) there's never any room for anyone else on this stage called life.

_All the world's a stage._

(The blue flying cat is obsessed with fish and Carla, while Carla is obsessed with her opinions, but who cares about them).

(In fact, the only cat he likes is Lily for his grounded, sensible behavior).

(OK, Frosche is adorable and he'll find a way to cat-nap him eventually).

"Again?"

He doesn't even wonder anymore at how Lyon knew to come over.

His senior pours himself a drink and settles in beside him on the couch, the pale-haired mage long used to making himself at home in Gray's spacious loft that's more space than house.

He doesn't have much in the way of belongings, doesn't like mess.

He keeps it simple, so that when he dies it'll be easy enough to clean up after him and move on.

They drink in silence, because Lyon and Gray are both full-time mages who work for famous guilds and go on demanding missions, and also because they've known each other long enough that words are unnecessary between them.

They don't care about who starts it, but eventually they're in Gray's king-sized bed and Lyon is trying to help him forget the darkness by filling him with warmth inside.

It's a temporary fix, and they both know it.

Gray hates himself for relying on the closest thing to an older brother he's ever had ( _not like this, he doesn't want to drag the other down like this_ ), but he knows Lyon carries his own demons and this is at least temporary catharsis for them both.

When the sun rises, they make breakfast together easily - like Ur used to make them do - and eat in companionable silence, before he walks the older mage to the station. Townspeople getting their stores ready for the day _aww_ at their 'brotherly bond', and the two Ice Make mages end up with a ton of free food and drink from fans (their double feature in Sorcerer Weekly was certified 'Coolest Edition Ever' by Jason, pun absolutely intended).

He doesn't say anything to Lyon about last night, but he can feel the understanding through the brief hug on the platform.

Still, even as he squints into the sun to watch the train depart, inside all he feels is the weight of hate for keeping Lyon from pursuing his own happiness. Because Ur's senior pupil was determined to care for the brilliant mage's youngest disciple, determined to make up for his past as the Cold Emperor, determined to close the gap of 'Seven Years In Tenrou' and Gray's one year undercover in Avatar.

Their pasts are chequered enough, they don't need to add 'casual gay sex' to the list of sins under their names.

Still, a part of him looks forward to the day he dies so that Lyon can finally start a family with someone normal (and anyone is normal compared to Gray, the only Devil Slayer in the world).

##

Sometimes he wonders why there aren't more of his kind.

Dragon Slayers were supposed to be rare, but they have four in their guild, two not far from Magnolia, and another one wandering around Fiore with Jellal.

And God Slayers don't seem too uncommon either (why are Slayers so prevalent in Fiore?).

Yet he's the only Devil Slayer in the country (Princess Hisui had actually investigated and confirmed this), and the only one of his kind in at least a century (Master and that Tree-Man had confirmed this).

Why is he always standing all alone within a crowd?

Master gives him an SS-class quest solo, seemingly casual but the split-second glance is heavy.

Natsu starts a ruckus about not wanting Gray to surpass him, Lucy screeches when her tube top is accidentally singed by the rampaging moron's flames, while Erza nods sagely as though it was all part of her masterplan. (Wendy is teary as usual, but he manages to chuckle like he means it as he pats her head on the way out).

It's a long quest, because there are a whole bunch of different beasts he has to hunt down in order to create the lure for the final creature, so he has plenty of time on his own to think.

He doesn't need more time to think, that's why he goes along with the rest of _Team Natsu_ because their fuss keeps him from his own thoughts until they fall asleep (but then Natsu snores like a busted train, so that helps distract him too).

He tries to focus on training instead of thinking, is pleased when he manages some new spells. He'd started learning Enchantments in secret awhile back, along with other magics because he hates being so one-dimensional.

Hates being known as 'Ice Boy'.

Yes, Devil Slaying magic works even without ice, but he hadn't spent years learning it so he feels like he doesn't quite deserve it. (More importantly, Lucy and Wendy had bawled buckets when they'd heard that Devil Slaying magic drove their users mad and turned them into demons eventually, and the memory of how those two had made it all about how _they_ felt and what _they_ wanted still grates).

Fire magic is his weakest, and he glares at the stupid little dango-sized flame in his hand as though that might make it 'get all fired up', as the pink-haired idiot likes to say.

A snicker freezes his world in blinding white rage, before he realizes his left hand is caught in a rough grip as brown eyes hold his gaze steadily.

Jellal appears completely impervious to the ice that surrounds them.

When he lets go, glaring still, the taller mage simply brushes frost off his cape casually.

They don't say anything for awhile, though Gray knows the former Wizard Saint found his lack of aptitude with fire magic pitiful and hilarious, and that really pisses him off.

So he breaks first, bitingly asking the convict what the hell he's doing here, when they're not far from a group of Council Enforcers hunting for some Dark Mages who'd recently massacred a village.

If he'd stopped to think about it, the answer would've been clear as day, but something about Jellal just rubs him the wrong way and fills his mind with a haze (as usual).

One thin eyebrow rises casually, as a cool voice states that he's on his way to punish the Dark Mages.

No telepathy is needed to hear the "obviously" that goes unspoken.

Gritting his teeth, Gray clenches his fists and pivots on his heel, determined to put a distance between himself and Erza's love interest.

Nothing good ever comes of associating with him, all he does is drag people down into darkness and death if he lets them in.

He makes his way to the next town broodingly, plastering on his public persona once he sees people and easily deflecting the unwanted attention from men and women alike.

Of course, he isn't above using it to get himself a room upgrade. He's always been comfortable financially - because he's never had to personally pay any fines for his carelessness, because Ur believed in teaching her pupils about more than just magic, because he doesn't actually want anything material; but mostly because his family had been wealthy merchants themselves and he knew how to make his money make him more money - but he's not one to spend unnecessarily (unlike Lucy and Erza, who love designer outfits and overpriced little cakes).

(His loft is large and well-located, but he'd gotten it at a steep discount because he'd helped the owner of the building out with a rather sordid problem involving blackmail and twisted family affairs on the down low).

Sleep is fleeting, and fitful when it comes.

The next day, his fans give him packed meals (he's glad he'd learned card magic from Cana as children, because that's why he travels the world with only a fanny pack - he doesn't need to openly carry his belongings around) and random gifts which he accepts casually but resolves to burn once he's alone.

Why anyone thinks he'd want their used underwear is beyond him.

Yes, he has a little bit of a reputation for sleeping around, but he's been keeping those activities under wraps lately because Juvia always howls (and causes a storm, _literally_ ), while Lucy and Erza judge him and lecture him (and Natsu cheers at that like he's won some imaginary competition).

Still, used underwear from strangers is disturbing, even by his relatively gray standards.

He sleeps with some random woman he comes across, living on her own in the middle of nowhere while her husband serves in the Fiore army.

In a small village he stumbles upon in Phoenix Mountains, once the Village Head's daughter patches him up he takes her on the ground of the teepee while her father chats with village elders right outside.

He can tell she's in love with him, the way most women are, but he also knows it's a side effect of the demon inside him appealing to her baser instincts.

He slips away easily before sunrise, the way he always does.

##

It's quiet as he waits on the peak, the magic of this rocky structure keeping the wind at bay even as it wreaks havoc all around the tiny landmass he's sitting on.

When the winged beast comes for him, he's a little more vicious than he needs to be, but somehow the flying monster's yellow feathers and large bosom remind him of Lucy a bit too much and he rips it to shreds even as it lies motionless.

He hates himself for hating those who're not like him, who don't breathe darkness like him while faking light, and it just makes him fall into the abyss more and more each time.

##

"Pride comes before a fall."

His fists don't work, no part of his body does, because of the horrible fall, so he can't strike that stupid look off a tattooed face.

He knows the only reason he's still alive is because of Meteor (and Jellal, who'd been wielding the Heavenly Body magic to rush to his aid, but #semantics).

Somehow he falls asleep while he's mentally cursing the criminal, and it's dreamless.

##

He doesn't ask, but Jellal knows he's curious and tells him anyway.

Crime Sorcière have spread out around the mountain range, hunting down Dark Guilds and investigating something the blue-haired mage won't reveal, which is why the former Council Member is on his own tending to a badly wounded Gray.

Why couldn't it have been Meredy who'd saved him? At least she had the pink hair and breasts to distract him temporarily, was contrite enough (and adored Ultear enough) to be sweet and respectful towards him.

Jellal had long ago achieved a sense of peace within himself, had come to terms with his own darkness.

Gray doesn't like it.

A man who'd committed such crimes, even under duress and while being manipulated, facing down his demons?

What did that mean for Gray Fullbuster, who carried a demon inside himself?

Yes, a more accurate description would be that he's a Devil Slayer who goes berserk from using his abilities. But Gray knows it's because, like Dragon Slayers who turn into dragons, his power is derived from demons for fighting demons, and he'll eventually become one if he doesn't keep a tight grip on his sanity, if he doesn't rein in his usage of his inherited abilities (and he did inherit them, because he didn't have to spend years learning how to use them so he never really earned the title 'Devil Slayer').

If Jellal realizes how uncomfortable he makes Gray, the blue haired male doesn't care.

The older mage strips him, and Gray shouldn't be bothered given his reputation but it bothers him when he's not the one in charge.

It bothers him even more when the taller man's touch is gentle as he wipes the Fairy Tail wizard down, as calloused fingers brush assessingly over wounds before injuries are bound with an ease that belies years of experience.

Jellal is a surprisingly good cook.

Gray doesn't have time to wonder about that, before sleep claims him once again.

##

He's not sure how long they spend in that little cavern, but eventually he's able to sit up on his own and Jellal simply looks at him coolly.

Entire novels could be written around the words they leave unsaid every time they meet.

He thinks it'll be just like usual this time, but once in awhile even his borderline genius intellect is wrong (he likes to pretend he's not that smart, because it lets him get away with stupid shit and it also means people like Lucy don't bother him with ridiculous demands).

Jellal goes with him to hunt down the final beast, but refrains from landing the killing blow even though the older man is in the perfect position to do so.

When Gray angrily rips off a matted, bloodied head and seals it in a card for easier transporting, the blue haired mage doesn't even blink.

They eat together by a calm lake that night, and the weird monster's flesh is astonishingly tender and tasty but Gray won't give his compliments to the chef.

Somehow, they don't need to say anything.

He ends up on his back soon enough, legs spread as he tries to keep his voice down - because that damned Poison Dragon Slayer could be nearby - while Jellal makes a mess out of him.

He keeps his eyes shut the whole time, because he doesn't need to know if the other man is thinking about a certain busty redhead instead.

It's amazing, probably the best he's ever had, even though Lyon is the only other person in the world to do such things to him (because Gray usually takes charge, and has a budding reputation as a womanizer, and freaks out at Master Bob the way any self-respecting man would) so he doesn't quite have quorum for comparison.

But he actually sees stars - _is it Heavenly Body magic?_ \- and passes out once (or twice).

Old habits die hard though, and he wakes before sunrise to strong arms around him and a warm chest (and it's rare for warmth to feel comfortable, because he's an ice mage and he can't stand heat) brushing against his back with each gentle inhale and exhale.

It's amazing, probably the best he's ever felt, and he knows he doesn't deserve it.

So he wriggles out as stealthily as possible, grabs his clothes, and runs.

##

Natsu is pissed, which means Lucy is nagging Gray for taking the SS-quest because he should've been more considerate towards his best friend.

He triggers the pink-haired male intentionally so he can let off some steam at that.

Why does he always have to sacrifice for others? Why can't he have what he wants, for once?

Why can't he be the main character of his own story?

It's easy to pretend that Erza's punch takes him down, and in truth he's appreciative of the strike because he'd slept with the man she's always loved not too long ago.

Juvia demands his time, barges into his apartment, and he's so glad Lyon appears all head over heels for the Water Mage so she runs away.

Something in her eyes while she'd asked him _"did something happen, Gray-sama"_ tells him that Juvia understands, though.

Lyon doesn't need to ask, knowing at a glance that something had happened on the mission and it was making his junior even more messed up mentally and emotionally.

Gray hates himself for being so needy, but he does what he knows the older mage likes, and eventually he falls asleep exhausted with Lyon still buried deep inside.

After sunrise, he walks the pale haired man to the train as usual, and they get gifts from their fans as usual.

The hug lasts a split second longer than usual, but Lyon understands because he's always understood Gray.

##

Juvia corners him eventually, when he's on an S-class quest Master had given him (he likes to look at the big picture, so he wonders why Master is suddenly pushing higher level quests to him when before he'd never been allowed near them on his own).

There are a few possibilities, of course, and Alvarez factors into a lot of them, but he doesn't want to dwell on that.

He's always preferred to run away from things like these anyway, because he'd learned the hard way that running towards them meant people he loved would die.

He wishes like hell that he wasn't so twisted, so broken, so that he could love Juvia even half as much as she loves him.

How can she accept him, all of him, so completely?

He's grateful, and he really wants to cry and hold her tight, but he also wants to respect her boundaries now because they've made it clear they're just guild mates and he understands she needs some space to heal.

He's so sorry for this, for not being a normal person, for not being a 'typical guy' - like the type in manga he's read who gets together with a beautiful woman who's always loved him more than herself because he eventually discovers feelings for her.

He does love her, and he always will. But not in the way she wants him to, and he's _so damned sorry_ he can't be who she wants because she deserves it and more.

She understands, as she always does, and even though tears usually get on his nerves when Juvia cries this time it tears at his heart and he does the _dogeza_ to beg for forgiveness he knows he's always had from her without asking.

He really does love her, and she'll always be special to him - his source of strength, his light in the darkness.

Somehow she thanks him for that (had he said it aloud?), and promises to always be his friend, to always believe in him and support him no matter what (and she's firm on the 'no matter what', which makes him want to cry even more).

He's broken, he's abnormal, he's twisted and dark and cruel and he spreads his legs for men when he shouldn't.

Juvia is adamant that there's nothing wrong with him liking the same sex, because 'love is love', and he wishes like hell right then that he could trade his life for her happiness.

They finish the quest together, and he insists on splitting the reward with this under appreciated, kind-hearted woman. There's gossip in the guild, gossip among the other guilds, because Juvia wasn't supposed to go along with him but the two of them don't care.

Anyone who underestimates Juvia Lockser is a damned fool.

He spends more time with Juvia after that, even though initially she's always the one to approach him - to demonstrate the truth in her words - and he does his best to at least show her that no matter what, he will always love her, he will always appreciate her as the one person who'll always stay by his side _no matter what_.

The Dark Sight goes away for awhile.

##

When the First Master tells them the truth about herself and Zeref, Gray isn't sure how to feel.

_Shodai_ seems to know, and later on she appears in his apartment to talk to him personally.

It's not easy, of course - between the two of them they have more issues than Sorcerer Weekly - but they manage eventually to come to some sort of agreement.

_Shodai_ will face Zeref, while Gray will face Jellal.

And come what may, they'd deal with the consequences.

He wanders around after that, wondering about the blue haired mage, their interactions...wondering about Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, and the others.

Juvia finds him, of course, and he offers her some of his street food.

Her response is endearing, and he wishes he could reciprocate her feelings but he knows they both know he can't.

Still, he makes it a point to tell her he appreciates her, because who knows what tomorrow might bring.

##

_Shodai_ sending him to Hargeon is ridiculous - there are too many of the best mages there - though he figures it's partly because Lyon is in charge of that zone's defenses.

Until the afternoon sky turns starry, and he realizes exactly why the petite immortal carries the moniker 'Fairy Tactician'.

It's awkward, coming upon Jellal - who's tenderly supporting Erza - while he's walking shoulder to shoulder with Lyon.

His senior realizes his unease, and gives nothing away even as he smoothly distances himself from the younger mage and offers to assist the taller man, eventually making it so that Jellal and Gray are alone in a tent 'recuperating'.

_Can Lyon and Juvia just get married already?_

He'll give his entire fortune to them - for the wedding of the century, for their first home, for their children, _for anything they could ever want_.

It's silent, as usual, but this time it's also partly because they're in the midst of an encampment filled with mage warriors.

The featherlight touch, more a brush of a larger hand against his, speaks volumes.

Still, he thinks Jellal looks better next to Erza.

##

It's desperation that drives him, sheer desperation and a desire to leave this world so the conflict inside him will end.

A part of him screams it's stupid to pick a fight with Natsu just because of the E.N.D. thing, but he makes excuses to himself and lets his sanity go.

Until Erza snaps him out of it.

_Juvia is alive._

He wants to hug her, to hold her, to tell her how glad he is that she's alive because she's one of the best things to ever happen to him, but he passes out instead.

He knows she understands though. Juvia always understands.

When he hears that Natsu already knows he'll die facing off against Zeref, he realizes that it's his chance - to do something right for once, and to put an end to his despair-tainted existence.

So he sneaks off as usual, confronts Zeref and almost succeeds in pulling off Lost Iced Shell until Natsu barges in demanding to be the main character (as usual).

He gives in because he's so tired of this, and he helps a simpering, sniffling Lucy afterward (yes, Dark Sight came back from the moment _shodai_ had done the Big Reveal).

When he's relegated to just making a stupid ship of ice, he doesn't even blink.

All his power, and he's nothing more than a prop or supporting character in his own life story?

When they win, and Acnologia and Zeref are no more, he doesn't let himself think or feel much beyond joy that Lyon and Juvia now have the rest of their lives together.

There's already talk of taking on the 100 year quest that Gildarts had failed, but Gray isn't sure if he wants to go down that route - now or in future.

It's many days later, as he unlocks his front door dazedly, exhausted and more than a little drunk, when he realizes he can't put off thoughts of the future much longer.

Jellal is casually sipping whisky on his sofa while flipping through one of the Sorcerer Weekly editions that feature Gray. His cheeks burn at that, though he blames it on the alcohol, and he huffily demands to know what the other man is doing there.

"I came to see you."

No telepathy is needed to hear the "obviously" that goes unspoken.

Gray pulls a Wendy and trips over his own two feet, but somehow Jellal is there to catch him in time.

They sit quietly together on the sofa, sipping priceless liquor while smoking (yes, Gray used to smoke though he dropped it for a time and no one ever mentioned it again).

He ends up on his back soon enough, legs spread as he tries to keep his voice down - because that damned Poison Dragon Slayer is nearby - while Jellal makes a mess out of him.

He tries to keep his eyes shut the whole time, because he doesn't need to know if the other man is thinking about a certain busty redhead instead, but Jellal won't let him - demanding Gray look at him.

They don't need words to communicate. They never have.

It's amazing, probably the best he's ever had, even though Lyon is the only other person in the world to do such things to him (because Gray usually takes charge, and has a budding reputation as a womanizer, and freaks out at Master Bob the way any self-respecting man would) so he doesn't quite have quorum for comparison.

But he actually sees stars - _is it Heavenly Body magic?_ \- and passes out once (or twice).

Old habits die hard though, and he wakes before sunrise to strong arms around him and a warm chest (and it's rare for warmth to feel comfortable, because he's an ice mage and he can't stand heat) brushing against his back with each gentle inhale and exhale.

It's amazing, probably the best he's ever felt, and he knows he doesn't deserve it.

So he tries to wriggle out as stealthily as possible, but muscular arms tighten around his waist and he knows he's caught.

They don't say anything to each other, but when Gray lets himself lean back slightly against a broad chest, it says enough.

It's a full day of being intimate, and in between they make themselves sandwiches and grab bottles of whisky and vodka, but eventually it's night time and the lights are off as Gray feels a toned chest rise and fall behind him.

**_I'm not afraid of the dark._ **

##


End file.
